ThoughtCrime: 10/22/92
German General Sentenced to Imprisonment
A German court has sentenced Otto-Ernst Remer, an 80-year-old retired army
general, to 22 months imprisonment for publishing articles disputing wartime
mass killings at Auschwitz in gas chambers.
On October 22, 1992, a criminal court in Schweinfurt found Remer guilty
of "popular incitement" and "incitement to racial hatred" because of allegedly
anti-Jewish statements published in five issues of his widely circulated
tabloid paper, Remer Depesche.
The state prosecuting attorney contended that the pupose of the
Remer Depesche is to promote Nazi ideology. The prosecutor
also spoke of Remer's "crude insult against millions of victims," and insisted
that the Holocaust extermination story is an "obvious historical fact" that
does not need to be proved in court.
To show that the allegedly criminal statements made in the Remer
Depesche are justifiable, the defense attorneys prepared 34 exhibits,
including a report by German engineer
Germar Rudolf on his on-site forensic examination of the alleged extermination
gas chambers at Auschwitz, Allied aerial reconnaissance photographs taken
in 1944 of the camp complex, as well as several witnesses. The judges refused
to consider any of this evidence.
Pointing out that Remer's "crime" was a "non-violent expression of opinion,"
the defense attorneys characterized the proceeding as a "special kind of
political trial," Remer himself described the court as a "regime tribunal,"
and expressed the hope that "perhaps the day will come when this court will
be called to account" for its behavior.
Remer is a noted historical figure. As a young officer in command of
the Berlin guard regiment in July 1944, he played a key role in suppressing
the ill-fated attempt by conspirators to kill Hitler and seize power in
a violent coup d'etat. Remer was promoted, eventually to general, and at
the end of the war was serving as a commander in Pomerania. Among other
decorations, he was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, the Golden
Wounded Badge, the German Cross in Gold, and the Silver Close Combat badge
for 48 close combat engagements.
Adapted from: The Journal of Historical Review, Vol. 13, No. 2, March /
April 1993, P.O. Box 1306, Torrance, CA 90505, USA.
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